Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese

Ok friends, this is it. After all of the love for my Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella, it’s time for a follow-up act: Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese. (I know, I am just so incredibly original with the new name).

With the help of reader Amanda (hi Amanda!), I toyed around with different spices and flavours to achieve a cheddar-like cheese recipe. No small task, especially when you don’t eat cow’s milk cheddar to compare. With a little zing and zang, salty and sweet, ooey and gooey, I managed to achieve… are you ready for it?…nacho heaven. Big plate of nachos, hello again. Oh, how I missed you. Now I will devour you!

This recipe is good for more than just nachos. You can load up a baked potato, make a grilled cheese, layer on a veggie patty for a melty cheeseburger, or stir into noodles for quick mac and cheese. Anywhere that you would use melted cheddar cheese, you can now use this recipe.

Do you want more good news? Of course you do. It’s oil, gluten, and dairy free, only 150 calories per serving, omnivores love it, over 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and only 15 minutes to make. Vegan high fives all around!

Can we see another shot of this ooey, gooey, melty-ness. Ahhh…. there we go.

Notes about this cheese:

You have to use tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). Corn starch, potato starch or any other starch won’t have the same stretchy quality. If you can’t find tapioca starch in your grocery store, you can always order it online here. If you have tapioca pearls, you can use a coffee grinder or a high powered blender to grind them into a homemade batch of tapioca starch.

You can store the leftover cheese in an airtight container in the fridge and it should last for several days. This cheese will never turn into a solid block. It will always remain in a melty state. If you want to return the cold nacho cheese back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.

Please beware, once you make a batch, you will probably eat the whole thing in one sitting. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

To make this nacho cheese, first start by soaking the cashews for four hours or overnight. OR if you need to eat this immediately (and I always do), you can skip the soaking, and instead boil the cashews for 10 minutes until soft and tender, then drain before using. Sneaky deaky cashew softening trick.

Toss all the ingredients into a blender and blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery, don’t worry, it will get cheesy!

If you don’t have a high powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot to remove any cashew bits that didn’t grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.

Put the pan over medium-high heat. Stir to keep anything from burning. You will start to see clumps forming.

Ooo clumpy. Keep stirring!

Then all of a sudden, magic! Everything comes together and makes this cheesy, melty, deliciousness. Keep stirring and cooking for another minute or two, to make sure it’s finished firming up. It should take about 5 minutes to cook total. That’s it! Done. So easy.

Only 15 minutes to make this melty, stretchy, gooey, dairy-free cheese. Pour it on nachos, serve it on a baked potato, use it in a quesadilla, or wherever you desire. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese

To soften the cashews: Boil them for 10 minutes until soft. OR soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Drain before using.

To make the nacho vegan nacho cheese: Add the softened cashews, water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.

Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring. If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot, to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional minute or two to make sure it has firmed up completely.

Recipe Notes

*I originally went with ¼ cup of cashews, but lately I have been loving using a ½ cup for an even creamier consistency.*If you want to return the cold cheese back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.

I love this recipe! I am having a fiesta for my daughters 1st Bday and we will use this for vegan nachos! If I wanted to keep it warm, do you think transferrinf it once done into a crock pot on the warm setting might ruin it over time? I want to keep it warm and gooey for the entire party.

Oh that sounds so wonderful! As long as you keep it at a lower heat I think it should be just fine. It may evaporate water and get a bit thick, and if it does that you can just whisk more water back into it. It takes a minute to whisk in, but it will smooth out eventually. Enjoy!!

FOR THE SUPER LAZY – I used a 1/4 cup raw cashew butter (no added oil) and 1 cup *boiling* water. My reasoning: I don’t use raw cashews enough to keep them from spoiling. I also have gotten bad batches from the store as well. That’s why I keep a jar of raw cashew butter and keep it in the fridge. It’s already puréed, with no clumps. So for the super lazy this is a great tip. And it worked great for this recipe. WHICH IS REALLY GOOD BY THE WAY.

This is AWESOME!!!! I am new to vegan cooking. I recently went on a diet and was seeking a cheese sub that would be healthy. This hit the mark, my son was very sceptical said it tasted like queso. I added some chili, cumin and salsa…very close thank you

I used red miso, and 1 teaspoon salt (instead of 1&1/2) Everything else was exactly as was written. FABULOUS RECIPE! Thank you so very much! It will be used for nachos, mac and cheese, who knows what else.

OMG! This tastes so good! I had some with chips and made some Nacho Cheese jalapeno poppers with the coconut bacon bits! I have a tip for those of us without a high powered blender. At first add only a 1/2 cup of water and blend until very smooth then add the other half and blend. Works great! Also if I replace the tapioca starch with corn starch, will it make a nice smooth nacho cheese sauce?

This cheese is delicious! My omnivore husband who usually hates any kind of vegan cheese is obsessed with it!! Thank you! If we wanted it a tad less “stretchy” and a tiny bit more liquid-y what would be the best way to do that? Less tapioca starch? Substitute a bit of a different starch? More water?

I may have commented already last year but it bears repeating, I love this cheese! I use it in so many things and always credit you with the recipe. I just updated a page on my blog today and on my instagram page of a picture of a grilled cheese sandwich I made with this cheese. I give a link to the recipe and tell everyone to bookmark your website!

No words for how good this is!! An absolute must-make. Made the perfect topping for our loaded potato nachos. I am actually eating the leftovers COLD right now as a dip for veggies and it’s still bomb. I did use tapioca pearls (ground in the Vitamix) because I couldn’t find the flour/starch. Was worried it would turn out gritty, but it was just perfect. Added smoked paprika (which added an amazing flavor!) and extra nooch. Thank you for the incredible recipe!!! xoxo

I made this for the first time tonight & put it on refried beans, with salsa & spinach in ssoft taco shells. So good! And I was totally excited that the recipe turned out as described ( my cooking skills in question, not your recipe – lol).

After making the ‘mozzarella’ I just had to give this one a try too (and make use of all that tapioca starch :D). I substituted miso paste with marmite (how very Britsh of me) and it turned out delicious. I’m looking forward to trying the loaded nacho recipe with this *_*

Hey Sam! Love all your recipes! One question. I’ve made the Nacho cheese recipe from your book and love it. I noticed that this one has miso paste. Did you add this recently or remove it for the book? Is one better/different than the other Thanks Sharon

Help! My daughter likes the look of this but ontop of the allergies to dairy and eggs, tree nuts are also added except almonds. Can we sub the almonds for cashew? You are a life saver. I love your recipes.

Thank you so much for this recipe! I used to love nacho cheese, and this really hits the spot! I adjusted the recipe to use half the amount of tapioca flour called for, and it ends up just the perfect level of gooeyness.

Sam, this is really the best nacho cheese out there. I try other recipes to just kinda see how they taste in comparison. This is by far the very best. I love adding some wine and spinach to it with pasta., it’s so creamy and tasty. I’ve used it for nachos also. With your tofu crumbles. Yum! I’m so excited in getting your cookbook. You really make being vegan so easy, so tasty and so earth friendly. Thank you, our animals love you, the earth loves you and so does my family !

WOW! I have made a bunch of different vegan “cheese” sauce recipes over time. A TON. And I usually like them, but the kids aren’t swayed. I made this to serve as nachos for a party tonight and when I sampled the finished product I said WOW! WOW! WOW! right out loud to myself. Haha. Super tasty! The stretch in the texture is unmatched in other vegan recipes. Almost reminded me why I stopped eating dairy (that whole coats-your-mouth-with-goo feeling isn’t always amazing)… but this is the closest I’ve had to the real deal since switching to a vegan diet. Love it! Thanks for the recipe. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I made this tonight. I used raw cashew butter. (A tip for those without high powered blenders). I also added a little cumin to the cheese. This turned out DIVINE! I do have an awesome Ninja Blender, but it does sometimes leave little grit when blending cashews, and I had the butter on hand, so I used it. It was just great. I can’t say enough about it. It was AMAZING!!

Marlene I too have a ninja blender and the 1st time I made this it was gritty but I learned a trick. Just put 1/2 cup of water in with all the other ingredients and blend until very smooth. Then add the other 1/2 cup to blend all together. It comes out perfectly smooth that way!

i love this recipe its awesome and i tried a few vegan cheeses and this is my fav. i have to say though that i didnt particularly like the texture way too much, a liiiitle too jiggly, and the texture reminds me of something( (i wont say so i wont gross anybody out lol) so what i did was cut the tapioca in half and i loved the texture, it was creamy like velveeta! i did macaroni and cheese and omg i loved it! i did add a little mustard powder (like a pinch probably to it and then like 2-3 tbsp. of plant milk and like half tsp. (i think i dont really measure when i cook) of coconut oil to make it buttery…oh wow! a revelation, the texture was exactly like velveeta and even tasted like it too , i was shocked!

and a tip for anyone who like didnt have miso paste and didnt wanna buy either, i had tahini thankfully, just substitute it w/ that and maybe a pinch of salt (or not cuz my cheese i think came out a tiny bit salty cuz i added that extra salt w/ the tahini)

This was delicious. My omnivore husband even ate it…. like, a LOT of it. I loaded it up with layers of nachos, cheese and veggies, but left the top layer without the cheese. Covered it and popped it in the oven for 15 minutes. While it was baking, I added some pickled jalapeno juice into the remaining mixture and then poured it over the top with additional veggies. I will be making this again, for sure! The only thing I felt guilty over was the tortilla chips. Next time I think I’ll make my own and skip the unnecessary fat.

Hi Meg, yes you can freeze and grate it. Just note that it thaws rather rapidly which makes it difficult to grate as it gets ooeey and gooey. I prefer just spooning it over, such as in my Loaded Vegan Nachos. Enjoy!

My husband is vegan and I am not quite ready to take the leap because of my adoration of cheese. I want to make this to see if I can live without cow cheese, but I know nothing of miso. Once it is opened, does it need refrigerated? How long is it good for? I am debating whether I should spend the $10 to buy it if it will go bad quickly. Thank you!

Hi Danielle, Miso keeps for a very long time. Once opened I would say at least a year in the fridge. I used to be addicted to cheese, but broke the addiction by cutting it out of my diet, and now the smell is so gross to me! Amazing how your tastes can change. You might be interested in this video about cheese addiction. I hope you enjoy my recipe 🙂

Wow, Sam!! This recipe hit the nachos out of the ballpark! The flavor,the consistency- oooey, gooey deliciousness!! (Super easy, to boot!) I have tried many “cheese sauce” recipes before, but the tapioca starch adding the body to this one is the bomb!! Def the key to this ultimate comfort food!. Thank you for this!! X0!

Okay so this could totally be my issue and not the recipe but I didn’t really care for it. It wasn’t bad by any means but the smell is quite different from cheese and it affected how it tasted for me. I’m happy I made it and got to try it but likely won’t be making it again. Nothing beats some good melted queso at a mexican restuarant. Either way, thank you for sharing! It’s been a struggle finding foods that I like. I’m not a vegan but I want to be healthier and cut back on processed meats and dairy so I’m always looking for alternatives. It was fun to make! Wish it had turned out better

Too bad you didn’t enjoy it, Ben. Vegan cheeses are never going to be exactly like cow’s milk cheese, and I’ve heard from some people that it takes a little to get used to the new flavours. Best of luck!

Unfortunately you aren’t likely to enjoy non-dairy cheeses while still eating dairy cheese. When I cut dairy out of my diet I did 6 weeks, cold turkey, and avoided anything that resembled cheese in all forms. After that time my palate had changed and lost the taste for dairy cheese.

If you are going to dabble in non dairy cheese, do remember that any facsimiles will not be just like dairy – getting in to the mindset of renaming things can help! Instead of thinking of a recipe as vegan mac and cheese, call it macaroni and savoury cashew cream (just an example). Good luck!

I was very excited to try this last night, but I’m sorry to say was very disappointed. It was indeed very gooey and cheesy-looking, but the smell turned me off. I don’t know if it was the miso, the nooch (nutritional yeast), or a combination of things, but it smelled like something very unappealing…Reminded me of when my husband steams mussels in garlic. :-p I’m not giving up! I’m looking forward to trying the vegan mozzarella next time with the tapioca starch I now have on hand! On a positive note, I tried the rice paper vegan bacon and it was AH-MA-ZING! The closest thing I’ve had to bacon in 4+ years. Yum, yum, yummy! 🙂

This is a recipe for vegan cheese so there is no cow’s milk cheese involved. While some readers have tried substitutes for nuts that they are happy with (you can check out the comments here and on my mozzarella cheese recipe), I personally haven’t found anything that I loved other than nuts.

Since going vegan, I’ve tried a couple of recipes with nutritional yeast/cashew sauce and haven’t cared for them at all. I’m wondering if it is perhaps the brand of yeast I am using. Any suggestions? Sure would love to love this recipe! Miss my Mexican nights with cheese dip!

Hi Nona, it could just be the recipes you’ve tried, or it could be that you just don’t like the taste of nutritional yeast. Have you tried sampling it straight from the jar? The first time I tried it I didn’t like it. It took me awhile to warm up to it but now I am obsessed and sprinkle it all over my popcorn. Hope that helps!

Hi I was wondering where the 10 grams of protein comes from? According to my calculations, 1/2 cup cashews only has 11 or 12 total while 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast (Bob’s Red Mill for reference) has 6 grams. The total would only be 18 grams, divided by 3 is 6 grams of protein per serving?

I am definitely looking for high protein vegan cheeses so just wondering if I missed something?

Just made this… honestly didn’t think it would turn out like cheese but it did. It was even better than real cheese. It worked exactly like she said, gooey after about 5 minutes and really firm with 2 more minutes. Minor change i made was to use a food processor instead of a blender: i I soaked the cashews over night, put them in a food processor with 1/2 of the water and the other ingredients.. Once they were really smooth i put it in a pan and added the other 1/2 of the water. It came out excellent. This is a crazy good recipe.

Thank you so much for this recipe!! It’s simply amazing and I can’t believe how healthy it is. I tripled the recipe, brought it at a bachelorette party and someone asked me what type of cheese that was. She could not believe it was cashew-based. Definitely going to make this again!

Oh doesn’t sound very yummy! As I think you discovered, cashew butter is not the same thing. Cashew butter is made by grinding the nuts until the oils release. In this recipe, we are just making a thick cashew cream to make the cheese rich and creamy.

Hi! This looks so yummy and it brought up a question I’ve been needing the answer to… Is there any substitute for nutritional yeast? Or, do you think it would hurt to omit it from this recipe? In case you are wondering why I’m asking, it’s because I’m supposed to be on a yeast-free diet, which is practically impossible, but I at least try to avoid obviously yeast(y) things. In this case, the nutritional yeast. Thanks so much!

Hi Mary! Nutritional yeast does provide a cheesy flavour, but it isn’t crucial to the texture of the recipe. I would suggest trying the recipe and just skipping the yeast. You may need to boost up the other spices a little, and the taste might not be quite as cheesy, but I still think it will taste good. Enjoy!

Wow, that was a speedy response! Thank you! I appreciate you giving me the 411 on the nutritional yeast. Good to know what it contributes to this recipe. Wish I could use it! Still think I might give the recipe a try though and do what you said. I’m only now making the conversion to a vegan diet. Came across your blog and excited to give some of your recipes a try. 😀 Thanks again! (Love the little monster pics that get chosen for us when we comment too. Really cute! haha)

Hahaha, you caught me while I was in the midst of responding to comments. I usually respond to all comments within 24 hours 🙂 Welcome to veganism!!! Let me know if you ever have any more questions or need any support 🙂

Hi Mary – Not sure exactly the guidelines of your diet, but I was looking up about brewer’s vs nutritional yeast online and it says both are “inactive” yeasts, meaning they don’t cause yeast growth (if you have candida issues) so maybe you’d be able to use it? Just a thought!

Thanks so much, Krysti! I looked into it a little more after my initial comment and I think you might be right! Not sure why (when I first investigated) I had found information discouraging its use when on the candida diet. (You were right about that being the issue.) Since then, I’ve come across the same info you found, so hopefully all will be good. I haven’t bought it yet, but I finally spotted it at my local Trader Joe’s, so I’m going to pick some up. Thanks again for the reply.

I tried this recipe few days ago. Oh my. I couldn’t stop eating straight from the pan! Absolutely mind blowing! I never liked cheese when I was still eating meat and I’ve spent all this years being vegan without paying to much attention to it, but this just changed. Bravo!

Good stuff! The tapioca really makes it! I had some alternate ingredients on hand and tried them out. Instead of water, I used the liquid strained from a can of diced tomatoes and chilies (and reserved those for garnish later). I also substituted the paprika, turmeric and salt with just one tsp of Sazon Tropical (this has other seasonings and coloring in it, so though it made the dip look and taste good, the original recipe is probably healthier). I did not have miso paste and reduced the syrup to 1/2 teaspoon. I ate half of the bowl before also adding a little bit of ground mustard powder and some vinegar from a jar of jalapenos.

Ok so I NEVER leave comments about recipes but after making this, I had to. I made it exactly as the recipe showed and it came out delicious! I added close to 1/4 of water afterward though because I found it to be a little too thick. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!! (:

Hi Matilda, I’m actually not very picky when it comes to nutritional yeast as I don’t find there is much difference between brands. I think the one I have now was called Purley Bulk, which I bought because it was the cheapest. I will say, however, that I find when storing nutritional yeast in the fridge it can suck up fridge flavours and not taste good at all. Instead, I recommend storing it in an airtight jar in the cupboard. It won’t go bad and lasts forever. Enjoy!

It’s true! I made it with almond milk and it turned out slimy hahahaha had to mix some agar agar to it, so it ended up being a block of vegan cheese, still delicious though! Maybe with a tad less lemon juice (maybe my lemons were too sour). Thank you! <3

It does 🙂 to this quantity of cheese I added 2 tbsp of agar agar powder (powder not flakes) disolved in one cup of water and activated over the stove on low-med heat (here it’s KEY that you stir at all times and when it’s starts to bubble keep it over the stove for at least 5 to 10 minutes! It will bubble and thicken but keep stirring to activate the agar. After those 5-10 min, add the cheese sauce slowly until it mixes smoothly with the agar still over the stove. Then pour on a mold and refrigerate). 🙂 I hope it helps!

Hello! I am dairy free & gluten free but looking to have some comfort food ie grilled cheese, pizza, Cesar salad. I have found a number of vegan cheese recipes this one and the stretchy mozzeralla of yours look the best so far! 🙂 However, I am not able to use cashews. Any other suggestions for the nuts? I see blanched almonds were suggested above but I didn’t see any feedback. Also have you developed a pizza cheese????? Please say yes.

I have done the original recipe and love it. I put it on mini english muffin pizzas, grilled cheese and tacos. The only problem is cashews are really expensive and other nuts have too much of a “nutty” flavor. I’ve tried sunflower seeds with the mozzarella recipe, but it was also too “nutty” for my taste. How about tofu? I haven’t tried this yet myself, but I think subbing 4oz extra firm tofu for the cashews might work well. I calculated that 1/2 cup of cashews costs $0.91 ($5.70/lb at bulk store) vs. 4 oz tofu costs 61.6 cents ($1.85/12.3 oz). 29.4 cents doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but if you like this cheese as much as I do the saving will add up. I’m excited to try this out this weekend.

I replaced the 1/2 cup of cashews with 1 (~8oz) boiled and pureed potato and added an extra tablespoon or two of tapioca starch and it worked great. I will be cooking it this way from now on because it tastes virtually the same with more convenience and lower cost. Yum for vegan cheese.

Yes, blanched almonds work well, you just have to boil them or soak them for a little longer until they are tender so they blend properly. I do have a pizza cheese, but it will be in my cookbook which comes out in October 🙂

All I can say is….WOW. You are a genius. Used this cheese recipe to make a vegan mac & cheese and it was perfect. Even waited till the rest of my family (not vegan) came home just so they could try it & they fell in love with it too. They were pretty much in shock when they found out it wasn’t their normal cheese!

Didn’t have raw cashews, but had cashew milk so I subbed the water and cashews for one cup cashew milk, and it turned out amazing!!!! Definitely kept it at a runnier texture which was actually perfect for pouring on nachos 🙂 I added a chipotle pepper for a bit of an extra smokey spice. SO good

I absolutely love the taste but I made a mistake- my cashews are not as blended so there are still bits. I don’t want to throw it away because it’s too good. Do you think I can just blend it again? Next time I make, can I substitute potatoes (mashed very well) instead of cashews for my child who cannot have nuts?

Hi Joy, If you have cashew bits left over, I recommend straining the cheese when it is in liquid form before cooking so that all the little bits are removed. I have never tried re-blending it, so I am not sure how it would turn out. I have also never tried potato so I am not sure how that would turn out! If you give it a try, let us know. 🙂

Well, I finally made this sucker, and it was DEFINITELY well worth the wait. I initially saw that I was missing an ingredient (the white miso paste) and saw from previous comments that it could be left out—- but that it contributed to the Umami taste, I COULDN’T AGREE MORE. This recipe is truly “uncious.” I can EASILY see this as a cheese substitute on pizza, or just a glob spread out and wrapped in tortilla as a snack. Mine is sorta a little too thick for prolly even the strongest chip (I’m sure I could remedy that with a splash of water or nut milk). All in all though— EXCELLENT recipe. Extremely satisfying. Thank you, Sam, for the delish recipe. I’ll have to scour your website for more delish recipes. Yay!!

Sam, I don’t have white miso paste, what about using Braggs Liquid Amino? Could that work? I am dying to try this. I’ve just started going vegan and oil free. I am …was… a cheese addict. My husband was buying Taco Bell breakfast bowls all the time, then had some chest pains THAT’S IT! no more cheese for you buddy and I’ve been trying to get that cheese monkey off my own back for a while now. Thanks! Marsha

Liquid aminos have a very different taste than miso, and also might affect the colour of the cheese. You can find white miso paste in the Asian section of your grocery store or online here. I highly recommend picking some up as it does help with those cheesy flavours. So happy you are making the switch, you are going to feel so much better! 🙂

Can’t wait to try this cheese sauce! I’ve been vegetarian for 5 years and have been transitioning to vegan this year. Having a problem with “letting go” of cheeses, especially cheese sauces for recipes (such as mac & cheese). I’m making some M&C for Easter and just wondered with regards to the amount of servings per 1 recipe = 3 servings…do you think I would have to double the recipe to make a 9X13 dish of Mac & Cheese? Or would one batch be enough? Love your recipes!

Thanks so much, Susan! I would double the batch, just to be safe. If you have any leftovers you can always enjoy it as a snack or pop it in the fridge or freezer for later. You also might like my nacho cheese recipe which will add a bit more oomf to your mac and cheese. Enjoy!

I didn’t want to believe it…but this cheese exceeded my expectations! You have my trust and I look forward to a future playing with the variety of recipes on this site. Beautiful and delicious recipe! Used it to make potato nachos. This was the perfect touch.

I’ve never like vegan cheese until I made Sam’s Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese, which is delicious. I wish this cheese was bit less unwieldy, though– perhaps it’s just like this for me as I may not have added enough water to thin it out? I also wonder if it has to do with the tapioca flour I use? The cheese is so sticky I struggle in smearing it on the quesadilla or over nachos and cleaning the pot I cooked it in afterward is a struggle. I was hesitant to add in too much water at the end while it was cooking as I didn’t want to dilute the flavor. I’m curious, Sam how much water, if any, you typically have to add in to thin it out? Another reviewer mentioned being able to drizzle it– are you able to drizzle it? I’ve made this receipt twice now and neither time was it even close to a consistency in which I could drizzle it. Even with the struggle to apply the cheese, it’s still worth it as it tastes amazing!

Hi Rebecca! If you are finding the cheese to thick, just add more water to thin it out and stir in. I would start with just a couple tablespoons at a time, and add more as needed to reach desired consistency. Hope that helps 🙂

Yes, adding water did the trick. Third time was the charm. I think in total I added something like 6 tablespoons but I ended up dividing the batch into thirds and only adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water at a time. I didn’t notice a difference in taste after adding the water.

Ok I know you say not to use anything else but Tapioca Starch BUT I don’t have any and right now I’m on a very limited budget. :-\ Anyway, can I substitute Organic Corn Starch or Arrowroot Powder? If so, what are the amounts I should use in ratio to the Tapioca Starch?

Hi Diane, Cornstarch or arrowroot powder, will not give the gooey, stretchy, cheese texture, and instead will just make a sauce. I am not sure of the quantities because I haven’t tested the recipe with those. Hope that helps!

Ok, here’s the deal, lol, I bucked up and gathered change and bought a bag of Tapioca Starch.

Two things: 1.) I reduced the amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice to 1 TBSP after reading other’s comments. 2.) This cheese is Da-Bomb!!! My carnivore husband, who usually makes me use his dairy cheese on his servings, asked me to use this cheese instead after he tasted a bite of my Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla! It is hands-down one of the best cheese “sauce” recipes I’ve made so far, and I’ve been making them for 7 yrs now!

Good job! Thank you sooooo much for sharing, I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!

Just made a double batch of this and it was great! I also love the idea of mixing all the dry ingredients first for later use. I live in Texas, the land of queso dip. Next time I’m going to take down the salt and lemon juice a bit (maybe try lime), and add cilantro, pico de gallo, chiles, and cayenne because I like it spicy! Thanks for the great recipe!

Ok, so the look and consistency is just like a nacho cheese sauce but the flavor is seriously lacking. Nothing worse than a delicious looking sauce that doesn’t add the desired cheesy flavor. The amount of lemon juice in this recipe seems like too much as that was the strongest flavor coming from this sauce. I’m willing to try this again because you’ve figured out how to achieve the correct texture for the sauce but with definite alterations for flavor.

Oh my GAHD! I cannot believe how easy and delicious this is. I had everything in my kitchen (that’s a relief!) and this will be a weekly addition for sure. I have to giggle at the 3 servings though. I am fairly certain I could eat it all while watching a movie. Haha thank you so much for sharing!!

**WOW*WOW*WOW** I’m SO excited!!! Excellent recipe!! This is the very first time my husband and I have shared a plate of nachos in 6 years!!! When I went vegan those many years ago, nachos were the one thing he was a little sad about, that we couldn’t share. I had given up on creating a nacho cheese like this as he is very discriminating but alas this passed with flying colors!! We have had it two nights in a row and he wants it on the menu for company. Thank you SO SO much!!

Thanks for the BEST cheese sauce recipe EVER!! So easy and so good to eat. I have a tip that I found out, Nutritional yeast is sprayed with synthetic B vitamins and did not know that. I reacted to poorly when I ate NY. When I discovered this, I ordered non- Fortified NY on Amazon and magically – and thankfully I now can eat NY again, mystery solved! Your recipe is fantastic, Thank you!!

I made this last night and it was amazing! I used white miso paste and and it still came out more brown than the image here. but i honestly don’t care because it was so cheese like! I am newly vegan (about 6 months now) and i have made and tried every “cheese” i’ve seen and this is by far the best! I’m so excited about this! Thank you!

Hi there! Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this tonight and it was quite good. I was so amazed by the chemistry of the whole thing turning into stretchy cheese. How incredible! I only had two issues that maybe you can help me with. I used a darker which made my cheese I believe more brown. I would love to get that orange color you achieved. Also, I am gluten free and I realized after that the miso contained barley. Do you know if there are other miso pastes that are gluten free? Thank you so much!

Sorry for my English… I’m from Italy, Italian food is delicious but Italian vegan recipes are tasteless ☺ I just tried to make your cheese… Super super delicious! I couldn’t believe it really tastes like cheese…. Thank you thank you thank you for this wonderful recipe, I’m going to try all other recipes of your site! Great day all! ☺ Ciao

I love the complex flavors that come together to make this vegan cheese. I have to practice great restraint to avoid eating all of it at once. I liked it on nachos but I love it in grilled cheese sandwiches.

I tried it and it’s delicious, the consistency remembers me of a cheese fondue from the old days. Mine turned quite red though, maybe my paprika is too red 😛 But anyway, it’s worth a try and get something cheesy and melty for your nachos!

So happy you loved it! Yes, it’s totally possible that your paprika is more red than the one I used. If you want a more orange colour, you can cut back on the paprika next time without effecting the taste too much. 🙂

Excellent! Just made a batch. I have made a lot of different vegan cheese sauces and this is far better than any other. I used smoked paprika which I think kicks it up a notch but I am sure great w/ regular paprika. Could add a big pinch of chipolte powder if you like ti hot. Nachos for lunch tomorrow!!!

I made this for some friends and family tonight and it was a huge hit! We scraped the saucepan clean. Even my committed carnivore/vegan-sceptic brother came back for seconds. The kids adored it too. I looked for white miso in my local supermarket but not sure if what I ended up using was the brown or white variety as it was all in Japanese, was quite miso-y but delicious nonetheless and once we poured it over our quinoa and black beans, brown rice salad and corn chips it was incredible. Thank you, thank you!

Thanks Guylaine, That’s right, it can be found at a health food store, but if you have trouble finding it, it is just a flavour and adds a nice umami. If you needed to skip it, I am sure the recipe would still taste pretty good. Enjoy!

We topped a plate of nachos with this cheese tonight to eat while watching the football game, and we are happy to report that the recipe is a winner!

I didn’t have miso paste so I just omitted that ingredient (it tastes salty enough without it so I don’t think I’d worry about buying some for the next batch.) I might also cut back the lemon juice ever so slightly, maybe by just a teaspoon, so the flavor is slightly more creamy than tangy.

Yay!!! So happy you loved the nachos Sherri 🙂 Yes, absolutely, feel free to play around with your own measurements and seasonings to get it just as you like it. So happy you have have nachos on football night again too! 🙂

I only have “Mame Miso” on me and was wondering if you knew if this could work instead of the white. It’s a very dark brown miso and ingredients are: Whole soy beans, sea salt, water & koji. Again, incredible job, cannot wait to try this! xx

Hi Jim, I’m glad it worked! I don’t actually have a kitchen scale (I know, shame) but here is a handy dandy chart that converts cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons to Ml. Does that help? Notes to self in the comments are a great idea. I am sure other people will find it helpful as well. 🙂

Hi, thank you for all your hard work and then sharing with us all! I am dying to try this recipe but I have a ton of allergies… Can the miso paste be left out or is it critical to the cheese flavor? Thank you for your advice!

This was delicious and made a kick @ss grilled cheese sandwich and some very good chips & cheese snacks. It was a bit “sharp” for my taste but I think that’s the miso I have. I’ll probably reduce the lemon a smidge next time to compensate. SO GOOD! I’m drizzling the last of it over my chili tonight.

Hi Meg, Your super welcome!! Yes, most of the sodium is from the salt, and a little from the miso paste. You can adjust those to your preference if you like, it won’t affect the texture, only the flavour. Let me know if you have anymore questions or if there is anyway I can help you with your transition! 😀

This was great, as was the mozzarella! I did not have the tapioca flour or starch. (I live in Costa Rica with limited resources), but used a good organic cornstarch brought back from US. I only used 1 1/2 tablespoons, checked some equivalency charts. As you said, not as much stretch but still very cheesy, and tasty, and gone in a flash! Thanks!, P.s. I harvest my own cashews here as you really can’t buy them. I also get cashews when I go to Nicaragua that are harvested and sold buy local families. So, that fact that this recipe uses only 1/4 cup is great!

I have now! haha! That’s a great idea. I think a pizza specific cheese would have to get firm enough to grate, and then be melty and stretchy coming out of the oven… now there’s a challenge. I love it!

How did you know what I have been thinking of lately? I can’t tell you the last time I ate nachos but earlier this week I made an enchilada bowl (faster than real enchiladas as you don’t have to roll up the filling in the corn tortillas and then bake and since I haven’t found Non GMO corn tortillas I don’t mind skipping that part – instead I just put the yummy stuff on a rice quinoa blend and eat it that way. I was thinking this would make for good loaded nachos. And then I thought heck I would be happy with some plain nachos (with Non GMO corn chips of course). Sounds yummy! Also I would like to have some grilled cheese vegan style. I am at work right now though so I can’t make anything so yummy. Bummer! I look forward to making this later on though.

I had (vegan) nacho’s for the first time in a long time at the Toronto Vegan Food and Drink Festival last weekend and I would love to try to replicate that, so this is very timely. Thanks, I will be making this very soon.

Yum! I made a recipe very similar to this, I’ll have to try your exact spice ratio! After having the mozzarella version I knew I had to have a cheddar version! It makes delectable grilled cheese sandwiches too!

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I'm Sam, welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my favourite fuss-free vegan recipes. You might be surprised to hear that the moment I decided I was going to go vegan, I was completely and utterly bummed about it. Here's my story →

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